The Stone Monkey's Heart Stirred

Having only just encountered humans, the stone monkey did not yet fully understand their speech.

But he had been born intelligent. From the man's flushed skin, trembling lips, and eyes that seemed ready to spit fire—eyes filled with despair and desperate longing—he seemed to understand a little.

Still, he did not dare be certain, and immediately swept his gaze across the surrounding crowd.

He looked at the humans around him, each holding their breath, leaning forward slightly, their eyes brimming with expectation.

At last, the stone monkey was certain. His feeling had been correct.

The human man before him was asking him—asking him, this "outsider"—to teach him.

"???"

That left the stone monkey completely dumbfounded.

He blinked twice and scratched the golden fur on his cheek, feeling as though ten Water Curtain Caves were roaring with waterfalls inside his head at once.

No... buddy?

He had bid farewell to his little ones, braved wind and waves across the ocean, and suffered countless hardships to set foot on this land. What had he come for?

He had come to Seek Immortality and Tao, to become a disciple and learn skills, to obtain the true ability of immortality and live as long as heaven and earth!

How had someone started begging him for the immortal path when he, the real seeker, had not even found the threshold of an immortal's abode?

Were there even immortals out here?!

Or had he taken the wrong road?!

As these thoughts arose, panic grew within the stone monkey.

He did not fear hardship. What he feared was that there simply were no immortals out here at all.

He wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, only to realize that the other party certainly would not understand his monkey speech.

Gestures? That would only make him